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Equilibrium has been returned to Polyfest, with Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi regaining the premier kapa haka title from Western Springs College's Te Puna o Waiorea.

That's how they're seeing it in the west anyway, with the dust settling once more on the Auckland secondary schools cultural competitions.

Sonny Ngatai, who was one of the presenters, says the four days of performances on the Maori stage were of a high standard.

He says the festival is a great platform for young people to show off who they are, and it promises much for the future.

"It's an awesome way for them to express Maoritanga in a way they can make it unique to themselves. It's highly rangatahi based so it is an energised event and I guess it brings Maoridom to the 21st century," he says.

The other two schools going on to the national competitions are James Cook High School, which stormed into third with a bracket dedicated to former tutor George Pomana, who passed away in January, and Kings College took the fourth spot.